Norwegian: kolonial

[Kajeetah]

Hi everyone

I'm wondering about how to translate the word kolonial in the shop sign "KOLONIAL - MELK - DELIKATESSER" (apparently now part of the Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo) I'm not sure I got it right, as I used Google translate to "read" a Norwegian article, but as I understood it, "kolonial" meant more or less "imported goods".
This store is used as scenery for a movie set in something that looks like the 1950"s (it says: "from Alf Proysen's wonderful universe"
But do you think I should translate "imported goods" or just "groceries"?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Segorian]

In the Scandinavian languages, kolonial is (or was) short for kolonialvarer, a term which—like the corresponding terms in many other European languages—originally (beginning in the 18th century or earlier) referred to comestibles imported from overseas colonies.

Gradually, however, kolonialvarer came to be used to mean dry and dried foods, such as sugar, cocoa, coffee, tea, rice, spices or raisins (basically products with long shelf life), not necessarily imported from the (former) European colonies. In this sense, the word was in very common use until the 1960s (or perhaps the 1970s in places), after which its use diminished rapidly.

Today, kolonialvarer is mainly used within the food retail industry in the meaning ‘non-perishable’, and therefore includes both canned and frozen foods.

 

[Kajeetah]

Thanks a million for your very clear and interesting explanation!

 

[raumar]

I am not sure whether this is a difference between Swedish and Norwegian, but "kolonial" has two (related) meanings in Norwegian. One is "kolonialvarer", as Segorian has explained above. The other meaning of "kolonial" is "grocery shop". Originally, it referred to a shop that sold "kolonialvarer", but it got a more general meaning. A "kolonial" can also sell fruit, vegetables, milk and other perishable types of food. A "kolonial" is in any case a small shop - a "corner shop". This word is less used today, and it is somewhat old-fashioned.

See Bokmålsordboka: Ordbøkene.no - Bokmålsordboka og Nynorskordboka

So, "groceries" seems to be the right translation.

 

[Segorian]

The other meaning of "kolonial" is "grocery shop".

Interesting! I believe this is indeed a difference between Swedish and Norwegian, because I have never heard kolonial used in the meaning ‘colonial store’. Looking it up, I see that references in Swedish are to such shops in Norway.

 

[Kajeetah]

Thank you very much Raumar!

 

[Parlons Suédois]

[...] In this sense, the word was in very common use until the 1960s (or perhaps the 1970s in places), after which its use diminished rapidly.

I remember when the grocery shop in the small village (in Sweden) were I grew up, some time in the early eighties, got a fancy new cash register that did not just print the amounts on the receipts, but also what is was for. There was no barcode reader or anything like that; it all depended on the cashier hitting the right button. It seemed like just about everything that wasn’t GRÖNT, MEJERI, or CHARK was KOLONIAL.